Chapter 10 #2
“I know. You’re relying on my expertise to say nothing is too damaged.”
“He was right about my fingers,” Shaw said.
“I’m good. Not going to spend hours in a waiting room for them to tell me the same thing you just did.”
“I would like to know what happened,” Darby said.
“So would I,” Robbie agreed.
I tried to recall the flow of the conversation, how it had started, and exactly when it had escalated to physical violence. Had I provoked them? I didn’t really think so.
“They were drunk,” Sheri said, coming over and handing me a bottle of water. “You need a straw, sweetie?”
I considered that a moment, nodded, and moaned softly from the movement.
“Why’d you over-serve them?” Shaw asked her.
“I didn’t. They only had one shot here. They were tipsy when they sat down. Or at least the one who didn’t play was, but he didn’t buy any of it from us.”
Evan rubbed his hand in circles between my shoulder blades, telling those who had gathered around to listen what had happened in the parking lot. His account seemed accurate, from what I remembered, but it was scary-weird how fuzzy my memory actually was.
I glanced from him to Darby. “I think that’s how it happened?” I said.
“Don’t worry.” Darby put a hand on my shoulder. “Adrenaline does strange things to your recall.”
“I’ll say.”
I was still trying to piece it together when Channing came storming back into the bar.
My entire team formed a solid wall between him and me.
“Move,” he commanded.
Evan crossed his arms over his chest and Shaw and Darby didn’t budge.
I could see Channing’s thunderous expression and met his gaze.
“Are you okay?” he asked me, through my teammates.
“Not really.”
His gaze darkened.
“Not permanently damaged,” I conceded.
His nod was quick and sharp, as was his exhale. “Can I please see the damage he did?”
“Guys. Let him through.” I was crashing fast and just wanted to go home. I reached and without even looking back, Evan’s hand was in mine, which was nice.
Channing stepped into the breach left as Darby and Shaw moved aside, and he peered down at me. “You’re going to have a black eye.”
“No shit,” I muttered.
Channing glanced from me to Evan and I followed his gaze.
Evan was chewing on his lower lip and I could feel his body vibrating through our joined hands.
Channing turned his attention back to me. “You two need to get each other home,” he said flatly.
“Ya think?” Shaw muttered.
“Please let me take you both home. It’s the least I can do.”
“We got them,” Shaw said.
Channing’s jaw clenched.
“Shaw,” I said, touching his arm.
“No, Skip,” Shaw said. “We got you, right, guys?”
Both Darby and Robbie nodded, which I appreciated, but I knew Darby and Shaw, at least, both had a good half hour drive in the opposite direction of Evan’s and my apartment.
Robbie didn’t drive. In fact, one of his roommates had already arrived to pick him up and stood leaning against the bar, waiting.
I jutted my chin at the skinny young man. “Your buddy’s here to get you.”
Robbie glanced from me, to his friend, to Darby, then back to me.
“Ev and I are good. Promise.” I turned to our other teammates. “You guys can go. I know you have a long drive. Take off.”
“We don’t want to just leave you,” Shaw said.
“I have fielded worse hits, guys. It hurts, but I’ll live. Swear to god. Go home. Get some sleep. We have a big game to win tomorrow.”
“We are going to kick their asses,” Shaw promised. “Those twins wanna see how foolish they can look?”
“They won’t be here,” Channing said. “I’ve released them from the team.”
“You… what?” I stared at him.
“Good riddance,” Shaw muttered, and Robbie dug an elbow into his side.
“It was coming,” Channing said on a heavy sigh. “And they knew it. Probably why they were so belligerent this whole weekend. So.” He stretched his lips in what wasn’t really a smile. “We’ll play three tomorrow. Unless you prefer we forfeit, which would be a reasonable request.”
“No,” I said, glancing around at the guys, who all nodded agreement. “We’ll play. I don’t expect playing even just the three of you will be a cakewalk.” I would have grinned at him, but didn’t want to actually move my face that much. “I look forward to the challenge.”
I wasn’t about to offer to play three against three. Maybe that would have been more sportsmanlike, but my face fucking hurt, my boyfriend was quietly disintegrating under the pressure of not freaking out, and I wanted to go home.
“You guys, get out of here,” I instructed my team, and, reluctantly, they said their good nights and trooped out.
“Right. Now,” I said, hauling myself up with more than a bit of help from Evan, “if you don’t mind calling us a cab?”
“I’ll drive you,” Channing insisted.
“Not necessary.”
“Please.”
“You don’t have to make up for them,” I said. “You’re not the one who punched me.”
“No. But I would feel better taking you there myself and making sure you get settled.”
“I can look after him,” Evan said, his chin rising.
Channing nodded once to him. “Please,” he said again, focusing on Evan this time. “Allow me to help.”
Evan glanced between us.
“I can look after myself,” I told them both because I didn’t want Evan to have to do it, and I wasn’t sure we needed Channing putting his oar in right then.
Neither of them were paying any attention to me though. They were staring at each other. I saw the edge of Evan’s ability to cope coming out in the way he couldn’t look away from Channing’s electric gaze. I felt it in the too-tight grip he had on my hand.
When Channing turned his gaze on me, it was surprisingly warm. The strength I saw there would be nice to lean on, even for a moment. My introverted ass had been leaning on Evan all night and he was done.
“Fine,” I capitulated. “Let’s go.”
I needed to get out of there and Evan required some privacy to curl in on himself. Usually, I kept him uncurled by loving the stuffing out of him but tonight, I was too done myself. I had to get him home where we could both just… gods, I was tired.
Normally Evan and I walked to the rink so the ride in Channing’s truck was blessedly short. Jolting over the tracks was less than fun, but still better than the cold walk. We’d barely stopped before Evan had bounded out of the back seat and yanked open my door.
He was bouncing off invisible walls and I wanted to grab him and crowd him into a corner to get him to slow down, but no way was I about to move that fast.
“Lemme help you out.”
“He hit my face, not my legs, babe. Back up.”
“I got you,” he insisted.
“Evan.” Channing leaned over the steering wheel to see him. “Please get your brooms out of the back for him.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, that’s… I can do that.” And he was away again.
I sank into my seat. “Thanks for that. He’s just trying to help. He’s not used to being in charge of… things.”
“I noticed that.”
“Don’t judge him.”
“Not at all.”
“I don’t normally need looking after. He isn’t used to it.”
“And yet he’s been doing it all afternoon.”
I winced when Evan slammed the tailgate, then watched as he took off, brooms awkwardly gathered in one hand while he fished for his keys with the other. “Not really your business,” I muttered, “but I have to go take care of him.”
“Let him help you.”
“Stay out of it.” I opened my door, but he stopped me with a hand on my forearm.
“He wants to take care of you. He’s built for it. He just needs guidance.”
“What would you know about it, and why would you care?”
“Let me show you.”
“Let you get into his head, you mean?”
“Let me make up for my ex-friends’ bad behaviour and look after you both. Please.”
“His shit is not on you.”
“Perry!” Evan called as he tried and failed to juggle the brooms.
“I have to go.”
“Please,” he said again.
“Whatever.” I pushed the door open. “Suit yourself.” Gingerly lowering myself out of the cab, I didn’t wait for him to park the truck as I hurried for the building.
“Why is he parking?” Evan asked, balancing the last broom over his shoulder.
I sighed and started to pick up the others.
He took the brooms from me, still failing to get them into any sort of order. “Is he coming in?”
“Seems so.” I held the door for him to wrestle the brooms inside.
“Why?”
“Because he’s nosy and controlling.”
“He wants to make up for Jason hitting you.”
“That too, I guess.”
We were halfway to the elevators when there was a knock on the glass door of the lobby.
“Oh!” Evan dumped the brooms against the wall. “Shit. Sorry!” He sprinted back to let Channing into the building.
I had the brooms all collected and pointed in the same direction by the time they got back, and Channing took them from me. “Lead the way, Evan,” he said.
“Yeah. Right. Sure. Over here.”
Because the huge silver doors of the elevators dominating the sparse lobby were hard to find, I guess.